Pelican Town Press

Abigail noticed

"Elliot, I need to talk to you!" Abigail yelled in a panic.

I smiled for a second, happy to have figured out who I needed to talk to, but I quickly dropped my smile as I realized how distressed she looked.

"O-of course. Come in, it's cold out there." I told her as I ushered her inside.

Abigail stepped inside and looked up at me. She seemed almost angry, but also sad, and definitely scared. She took a breath before she spoke.

"The Farmer," she started. How perfect. "The Farmer was here before, but they were different, and-and I told this to my parents, and they told me to talk to Harvey because they thought I was crazy or something, and Harvey said I should talk to you!"

My eyes widened. Finally! For the first time in years someone knew what I was talking about! I wasn't alone anymore.

"You're not crazy." I reassured. "I know exactly what you're talking about. I thought I was crazy this whole time."

"And... you remember I married the farmer, right?" She asked with a bit of a frown.

That's right. I remember the wedding. It felt kind of strange to see, but I went anyways to support them. I think they were even talking about having a kid.

"I almost forgot about that. I do remember."

I could see a flood of relief wash over her shoulders. I remember how alone I felt the first time, how no one believed what I said. It must have felt so good for her to have someone understand, but it also must have felt terrible that the one she loved had changed. I even noticed her lack of a wedding ring. I glanced around the room and noticed the writing pad on my desk. I went over and picked it up, flipping to a blank page and grabbing a pen to write with.

"Abigail, I want you to tell me everything. Everything you noticed about The Farmer. Please." I begged.

She thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Yeah. Why not?"

I gave her a smile and led her over to the bed, gesturing for her to begin.

"I remember when The Farmer got here the first time. I didn't notice anything weird about them at the time. I was just all 'I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself' and they left me alone. I remember, when we first started to be friends, I would ask them to play games with me or we'd play music in the rain. You know as well as anybody that I don't talk to a lot of people. Aside from like, Sebastian and Sam, but I guess not so much Sam anymore. He doesn't remember us being in the band together anymore.

"The Farmer understood me better than anyone. They always seemed to know the perfect thing to say, and they gave me the best gifts. I used to be so pissed off about it, but it was really kind of sweet that The Farmer wanted to talk to me even if I was in a bad mood."

Abigail seemed so happy at all of the memories she made. It was sad that they had been stopped.

"Everything was fine last night. But I woke up in my old bedroom. I asked my mom when I got there, and she just gave me this weird look. I said I fell asleep in the farmhouse with The Farmer, and she said The Farmer just moved in. Even though I know that I was there!"

She glanced down at her hand, moving to twist a ring that was no longer there. I reached over and rubbed her shoulder gently. She blinked away a few tears before she continued.

"I met The Farmer in town this afternoon. Even though they were different, I just knew it was the same person. I wanted to say something about it, but all I could say was the spiel about the fields again. It was exactly the same thing I said the first time. Except this time, it didn't feel like I was the one saying it. That probably sounds weird, right?"

I shook my head.

"Not at all. That's how I felt both times I met The Farmer." I told her.

She smiled through her sadness. Even just making her feel better was a win.

"So, you know about the voice too?"

The voice. The one that told me I couldn't leave the beach every day. I nodded at her.

"Before it just felt like me being me. But now, I have to be me in such a specific way. It's like, I have some set schedule and I can't stray from it even the tiniest bit. I have to be in this exact place at this exact time and there's nothing I can do about it!" She pressed her finger into her opposite palm as she spoke to emphasize her point.

"I... I feel trapped. I couldn't even go see Harvey until well after dark. I feel so bad for waking him up. But it was either that or I wait for my next checkup and go insane in the process. All day I could only think about The Farmer. The connection we had." Her voice faded at the end.

I saw the tears in her eyes again and offered my arms for a hug, which she accepted. I let her cry for a while and didn't say anything. What's worse than losing the one you love, is for the one you love to be within your reach, and you just can't reach out. I couldn't begin to understand all of the feeling she must have been going through. When she stopped crying, I offered her a tissue to wipe her eyes with. 

"I'm sorry. I thought I could get through this without... all of that." Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke.

I quickly shook my head at her.

"You don't need to apologize. Don't ever apologize for your feelings. It's a part of who we are. What you went through is very sad indeed and you have every right to feel and express that, and I will always be here to listen to you, okay?" I explained to her gently.

Abigail sniffled as she nodded. After she relaxed a bit more, she got up and thanked me, then I walked her home for the night. I told her I would appreciate any more information she was willing to give me whenever she had any. Before I left for home, I turned to look down the path towards the farm. Even though I knew it was there, I couldn't see it. It was almost, static where the farm should be, but I couldn't place it exactly. Still, I went home. I knew better than to try to go on the farm. I was not allowed on the farm.

As I walked home, I looked around me. This was the same Pelican Town I'd been living in. I'm not even really sure how long I've actually been here. When The Farmer first arrived, I thought I'd been there a year, but that thought comes back each time we start over. I wonder if it was ever the truth, or if I'd only been here. In Pelican Town. The town where my every move is haunted by The Farmer.